GURU THE LEGEND HAS PASSED. HIS LAST LETTER TO HIS FANS. BUT THE LETTER AINT COOL.
(AllHipHop News) Legendary Gangstarr artist Guru has succumbed to cancer after a lengthy bout with the disease.
The artist, born Keith Elam, died on Monday April 19. He was 43 years old.
Solar, Guru's partner, expressed sadness over the loss.
"The world has lost one of the best MCs and Hip-Hop icons of all-time -- my loyal best
friend, partner, and brother, Guru," Solar said in a statement. "Guru
has been battling cancer for well over a year and has lost his battle!
This is a matter that Guru wanted private until he could beat it, but
tragically, this did not happen. The cancer took him. Now the world has
lost a great man and a true genius.
Guru, a Boston native, rose to fame in the 80's as one half of Gangstarr, the iconic rap group with
DJ Premier.
The group released six highly regarded albums in their tenure until 2003 when they broke up. After his successful run
with Premier, Guru founded 7 Grand Records with producer Solar.
Solar went on to tend to the rapper as he fell ill, seemingly controlling the
flow of information and access to Guru. Many of his family members
complained that they were denied their right to see him.
Solar also said that Guru wrote a letter to fans and sent it out through a
press agency.
"For the fans that reached out with love and support, I can't tell you how much that meant to Guru and myself. Guru
prepared this letter (read below) while he was in the hospital for the
fans," the producer continued. "I hope now that Guru has moved on to a
better place."
In the letter, seen below, the rapper explains his illness, expresses gratitude to supporters and offers some parting
words for DJ Premiere.
I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle
with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this
illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options.
I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to
carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged
children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure
for this terrible disease that took my life. I write this with tears in
my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have
enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting.
My loyal best friend, partner and brother, Solar, has been at my side
through it all and has been made my health proxy by myself on all
matters relating to myself. He has been with me by my side on my many
hospital stays, operations, doctors visits and stayed with me at my home
and cared for me when I could not care for myself. Solar and his family
is my family and I love them dearly and I expect my family, friends,
and fans to respect that, regardless to anybody's feelings on the
matter. It is my wish that counts. This being said I am survived by the
love of my life, my sun KC, who I trust will be looked after by Solar
and his family as their own. Any awards or tributes should be accepted,
organized approved by Solar on behalf myself and my son until he is of
age to except on his own.
I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events tributes etc. connected in anyway
to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any
reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing
to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him
in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family
situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ. As
the sole founder of GangStarr, I am very proud of what GangStarr has
meant to the music world and fans. I equally am proud of my Jazzmatazz
series and as the father of Hip-Hop/Jazz. I am most proud of my
leadership and pioneering efforts on Jazzmatazz 4 for reinvigorating the
Hip-Hop/Jazz genre in a time when music quality has reached an all time
low. Solar and I have toured in places that I have never been before
with GangStarr or Jazzmatatazz and we gained a reputation for being the
best on the planet at Hip-Hop/Jazz, as well as the biggest and most
influential Hip-Hop/Jazz record with Jazzmatazz 4 of the decade to now.
The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time.
And we as a team were not afraid to push the envelope. To me this is
what true artists do! As men of honor we stood tall in the face of small
mindedness, greed, and ignorance. As we fought for music and integrity
at the cost of not earning millions and for this I will always be happy
and proud, and would like to thank the million fans who have seen us
perform over the years from all over the world. The work I have done
with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time and is my most
creative and experimental to date. I hope that our music will receive
the attention it deserves as it is some of the best work I have done and
represents some of the best years of my life.
Comment
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Comment by TheGoldenGun on April 20, 2010 at 3:42am -
wow. really ?!! the way it's written, you would think Guru & Solar were in Gang Starr, not Guru & Preemo !!! Miss the man, but this letter reeks of either some serious brainwashing, or Solar himself... R.I.P. Guru
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